Every society, as good as it seems, has many problems. Although England is generally regarded as a high-class place, a playground for the rich, there are many social problems within their society. The gap between the rich and the poor is enormous, and often the plight of the poor and middle class is ignored. However, many authors made names for themselves by writing novels that address these specific social crimes. Daniel Defoe's novel, Moll Flanders, explores what it is like for a poor woman living in England. William Blake's two poems, "London" and "The Chimney Sweeper" also describe what life is like for the working class.
[...] The end of the story is happy, however, showing people that in the end, happiness is possible. Defoe himself was a political activist his whole life, fighting for rights for the poor. The book was written based on many of his own experiences in this particular social class. Though he was a popular writer, he was not appreciated in his own time, and often had many debts. Though Moll Flanders is considered to be a whore, thief, bigamist, and commits adultery and incest, her story keeps the readers sympathy, probably because it hits close to home. [...]
[...] Many of England's social problems were due to the ignorance and greed or the rich, personified in this story by Ebenezer Scrooge. England's poor was summed up by the character of Bob Crachit, a man struggling to keep his family afloat though his boss pays very little and is often surly. The end of the story must have had an effect on a lot of people (this is everyone's favorite story, after all) because in the end, the ghost of Christmas Yet To Come showed Scrooge that after his death, there was no one to mourn or care, his assets were simply sold off, and that was the end of his life. [...]
[...] Those who were rich in England never took a second to examine the lives of the poor. The church, which is supposed to be a haven, which is supposed to help the poor, hungry masses, often turned a blind eye as well. Blake's way of bringing about social reform was through informing the masses and hoping that his words would take effect. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, is a story that has been transformed into many different films and almost every person on earth knows the story of greedy old Ebenezer Scrooge, who did not have a care for anyone but himself. [...]
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